Names, Dates and Coordinates: Personalising a Canvas with the Details That Matter

Some of the most personal canvases carry no sentence at all, only facts: a name, a date, a place. They can be wonderful, because they hold a whole story in a few characters. They also need care, because every detail has to be right. In the Canvas Builder, a few habits keep it tidy.

Names: first, family or both

A single first name feels warm and intimate, and suits a nursery or a bedroom. A family surname feels like a household crest, and suits a hallway or a living room. Both together, one above the other, can be lovely, as long as one line clearly leads the other in size and importance.

Dates: pick one format and stick to it

Decide whether you want 14 06 2025, 14.06.25, or a date written out in words, and use the same style throughout. Numbers in a column look tidy and modern. A written-out date feels more formal and traditional. Avoid mixing the two on one canvas.

Places and coordinates

A latitude and longitude can mark a place that matters: where you met, a home, a beach. Coordinates look best set in small, even type, often on a separate line below a larger word such as a place name. If you use them, check the numbers carefully, since a single digit changes the location.

Stack for rhythm

A list of facts reads best when it is stacked into short lines, one idea per line. For example, a name on the first line, a date on the second, a place on the third. In the Builder, line breaks are kept, so you can set the stack exactly as you imagine it. Our guide to line breaks and the shape of your words shows how to balance the lines.

Let one line lead

A canvas full of equal-sized details feels like a form. Choose one line to be the headline, usually the name, and let the rest support it. You can set a single text size in the Builder, so for very different sizes of text on one canvas, tell us in your notes what you have in mind.

Check every digit twice

Before you send your design, read each date, name and number against the original. Mistakes in facts are the hardest to forgive. Our guide to proofreading your canvas text has a checklist you can follow.